Cab driver pistol-whipped, robbed

A normal shift ended up being a work nightmare for a San Francisco taxi driver early Tuesday morning, as a would-be customer turned out to be an armed assailant, police said.

The cabbie, a 54-year-old woman, was making a routine drop-off on the 100 block of Tucker Avenue in the Ingleside district when her passenger, a black male between 30 and 40 years old, took out a semiautomatic handgun and demanded her car keys and money.

After brandishing the weapon, the suspect pistol-whipped the cab driver in the head, then took off on foot with her money and wallet. The driver did not sustain serious injuries in the assault, which occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

No arrests have been made in the case, and police are still investigating.